MN · Healthcare shortage profile
Nicollet County, MN
Peak severity leads this reading: Nicollet County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 34,454.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 34,454
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 60.6
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Nicollet County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Mental-health shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Nicollet County, MN on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-15. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.
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Peak HPSA score 18.0 clears HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Scores at or above 17 on the 0–25/26 scales open NHSC placement priority for the matching provider type; eligibility still follows the designated area, not the county boundary alone.
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Closing Nicollet County's active designations would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 11 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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100% of Nicollet County's 4 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 4 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 4).
Nicollet County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Nicollet County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
2 additional ZCTAs intersect this county in the crosswalk (ordered by land share).
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Nicollet County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
4 Top 56% higher than 44% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Nicollet County falls in the lower half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 46 of 85. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 27103. Population: 34,454.
Single-discipline footprint
Nicollet County's active designations are all in mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 4 active mental health designations to Nicollet County , with a peak score of 18.0. The other two HRSA care categories carry no active designation on this FIPS, so the rest of this page reads the mental health file rather than a three-way shortage mix.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only · mental health only on this FIPS. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Nicollet County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| South Central Region | mental_health | 18.0 |
| St. Peter/MSOP | mental_health | 16.0 |
| St. Peter Hospital | mental_health | 12.0 |
| St. Peter Regional Treatment Center | mental_health | 8.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Nicollet County
Peak severity leads this reading: Nicollet County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Nicollet County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Nicollet County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (0/4/0) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Nicollet County falls in the lower half of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 46 of 85. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Acting on Nicollet County's high-priority mental health
Nicollet County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Nicollet County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of MN before drawing conclusions from a single score. MN overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. HPSA score lookup
HPSA scores describe shortage severity within HRSA's designation criteria, not the availability of any individual provider. For a specific appointment, contact a provider or your insurer; use HRSA's current tools to verify a designation.
Nearby mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Nicollet County's 18.0. Open Caguas County, PR or Cuyahoga County, OH next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Nicollet County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Nicollet County carries an MUA designation (index 60.6; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Nicollet County's peak score of 18.0?
- "South Central Region" leads the active set (score 18.0; mental health; 132,000 people in the service area; ~11 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/05/2026). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 4 active rows: 0 primary care, 4 mental health, 0 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Nicollet County's severity reading?
- After "South Central Region", the next active names on this release are "South Central Region", "St. Peter/MSOP", "St. Peter Hospital" and "St. Peter Regional Treatment Center". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~11 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Nicollet County's high-severity geography?
- Nicollet County's 4 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not merely the county line around "South Central Region".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 27103. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — download the normalized export on our open data page. PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency.
HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 27103 (Nicollet County, MN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.